Workshop: Printed Sensors, the University of Manchester, 1st December 2015

Introduction

Low cost smart integrated sensors are an important element of emerging technology trends, such as the Internet of Things, wearable electronics and personal health monitoring. They enable the measurement of important physical, chemical and biological signals and can be integrated into a broad range of environments ranging from buildings to human bodies, often with full internet connectivity.

The sensors can also be used in integrated smart systems for deployment in applications ranging from consumer electronics to smart wearables for healthcare, sport and fitness, as well as for smart packaging, from smart homes to smart cities and transport.

For instance, developing reliable and cost-effective gas sensors that conform to any substrate, enables the monitoring of volatile compounds present in the air both within building and the external environment. The gas sensors can also be used to measure volatile chemicals in human or animal breath as well as in food packaging and the interior of vehicles.

Other examples for the use of low cost sensors include:  disposable sensors in consumer electronics,  sensors plus RFID tags for item level tagging, biosensors for glucose and lactate monitoring, as well as sensors for skin pH and other chemical and biochemical substances for diversified use, ranging from sport and fitness to medical devices.

Printed sensor technologies are scalable to large-area surfaces and conform to any surface.

There will be plenty of opportunities during the workshop to see and discuss possible applications of the emerging sensor technology.

Workshop aims

The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large-Area Electronics (EPSRC Centre) brings together 4 large UK academic groups researching in the domain of “large-area electronics” – a new way of making electronics using low-temperature processes that allow the use of new active materials and new manufacturing approaches such as printing.

Within our EPSRC Centre, the Organic Materials Innovation Centre (OMIC) at University of Manchester has the expertise and infrastructure to develop and demonstrate low cost printed sensors for a range of applications. .Our vision is that printed or part-printed integrated smart systems can be designed to enable the use of very high-volume production processes and so reach price-points that facilitate the deployment of simple autonomous electronic systems in many markets by eliminating the need for rigid and bulky electronic devices to monitor the presence of multiple parameters around us .

Our aims in this workshop are to:

 

  • Report and showcase unique achievements of the team, as part of the EPSRC Centre-funded flagship programme iPESS (Integration of Printed Electronics with Silicon for smart sensor systems), particularly on the technology for printed gas sensor arrays.
  • Share the vision of project follow-up enabling new industrial applications.
  • Through discussion to identify the most attractive applications for this sensing technology
  • Address the most important technical needs and application requirements.

Possible applications – opportunity to pitch ideas

There will be an opportunity during the workshop to pitch ideas for possible applications of this sensor technology. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to make a pitch of a possible idea please let us know as soon as possible and ideally when you register to attend.

 

Workshop Agenda – Please see attached PDF

Venue – The workshop will be held in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Manchester. The venue is within easy walking distance of Piccadilly station and there is some pay to park car parks in the vicinity.

Registration – To register to attend this workshop please e-mail Samantha Hill (samantha.hill@manchester.ac.uk ) and Mike Holmes (mike.holmes@manchester.ac.uk ) by Wednesday 25th November 2015

An overview of the iPESS project is attached as a PDF FYI.

Andy Foster Presentation

Andrew Foster has received a DH Richards bursary from the Macro Group UK to attend the 12th International Symposium on Functional Pi-Electron Systems held in July in Seattle. He presented a poster detailing some of the group’s work on conjugated polymer nanoparticles at the meeting.  Congratulations to Andy!!

Athena Swan Support

Dr. Marion Wrackmeyer is working with Professor Michael Turner and has been awarded financial support by the School, mediated by the School’s Athena SWAN Committee. The support will help pay for the conference fee to the Spring Materials Research Society Conference in San Francisco from 6-10 April 2015, where she will be giving an oral presentation. Congratulations Marion and good luck on your presentation.

Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr. Barada Dash who was recently awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship. He obtained his Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, USA and is currently faculty at ITER, SOA University, Bhubaneswar, India. He was also a visiting fellow at OMIC last year working with Professor Michael Turner. This Marie Curie Fellowship will enable him to continue to work in the frontiers of conjugated materials.

Award

Dr Sheida Faraji was awarded the best poster prize during the Innovations in Large-Area Electronics Conference (innoLAE) 2015 organised by EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large-Area Electronics. Congratulations Sheida.